April 11, 2013

National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed the damage in Pickens County and determined that the damage was due to an EF-1 tornado, with winds of 100-110 mph. This tornado was a continuation of the Noxubee County, Mississippi tornado (which had a maximum rating of EF3 in Mississippi). The tornado tracked into Alabama 3.52 miles northwest of Pickensville, near Aliceville Lake. The tornado tracked northeast to near Highway 14, causing relatively minor damage to pine trees along the path. The tornado then took a more north-northeast path, a slight left turn, tracking nearly parallel to Highway 75 for several miles. The tornado strengthened from near Jim Dill Road to Pine Grove Road, destroying several outbuildings and causing significant damage to a well-built two story home, and snapping off and uprooting hundreds of trees. Just northeast of Pine Grove Road, in the Macedonia community, a manufactured home suffered significant damage and several hardwood trees were snapped off. As the tornado approached John Moore Road, it turned right and moved northeast again. Several manufactured homes were destroyed and many trees were also downed near Ethelsville. The tornado crossed County Road 30 just east of downtown Ethelsville and lifted after it crossed a branch of Kincaid Creek.

Severe thunderstorms ahead of and along a cold front moved across Central Alabama on Thursday, April 11th. Storms along the cold front formed into a quasi-linear convective system, causing wind damage and producing seven tornadoes across the area. Ahead of the line, strong daytime heating and increasing instabilities coupled with strong diffluence aloft created prime conditions for discrete thunderstorms to form. These storms caused wind damage across portions of northeast Central Alabama during the late afternoon.

Part of 10-tornado outbreak on April 11, 2013